Food poisoning in Đà Nẵng: 46 Lao visitors treated

Update:
August, 01/2017 - 07:00

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Lao tourists being treated for food poisoning at Hoàn Mỹ-Đà Nẵng Hospital. 46 tourists including four children were treated for food poisoning during the weekend and later released. — Photo of Hoàn Mỹ-Đà Nẵng Hospital

ĐÀ NẴNG — A group of 46 Lao tourists, including four children, have been released in good health from the Hoàn Mỹ-Đà Nẵng Hospital after two days of treatment for food poisoning.

Dr. Lâm Trọng Cơ, head of the hospital’s emergency ward, said the Lao tourists had contracted food poisoning after eating at a restaurant in the city during a tour of Đà Nẵng on the evening of Saturday.

Just a few hours after dinner, 20 tourists were taken to the hospital with vomiting and diarrhea, and another 26 were admitted to the hospital the following day, Sunday, with similar symptoms.

The hospital was able to release 42 tourists on Sunday, while the remaining four, whose symptoms were severe, came out on Monday morning.

The first batch of tests showed that the tourists ate food contaminated by bacteria.

Officials said this was the most serious food poisoning case in the city this year.

In May, a group of 17 tourists from Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province were treated for food poisoning at the city’s General Hospital.

The city’s Heath Department has been investigating the food poisoning cases.

No food poisoning case was reported in the city in 2016.

In 2015, a group of 30 students from Hà Nội, on a field trip to Đà Nẵng, were admitted to the city’s General Hospital with food poisoning.

Doctors have warned that tourists should only go to hygienic restaurants recognised for serving safe food.

Đà Nẵng hosted 5.5 million tourists in 2016, 1.67 million of them foreigners.

The city issued food safety certificates for over 3,300 qualified food courts and restaurants in early 2017. It imposes fines of between VNĐ100 million (US$4,500) to VNĐ200 million (nearly $9,000) for food safety violations. — VNS